Energy Management Based on Location

• US 20140277762A1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Comfort Control LP (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Inventors: Drew, David Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,618,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control

Abstract

Systems and methods of providing climate control and/or energy management in a structure having a networking thermostat. In some example embodiments the network is used to monitor a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure. The monitoring may be performed to determine the location relative to a destination located apart from the structure. The network is used to control a set point of the thermostat based on the location. Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring may be performed to determine time period(s) during which the structure is unoccupied and the thermostat is set at a first set point. Energy savings that could have been realized by changing the first set point to a second set point are estimated and provided to the user.

Claims

1. A system for providing climate control in a structure, the system comprising:

a thermostat of the structure, the thermostat connected with a network; and

one or more processors connected with the thermostat through the network and configured to;

monitor a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure, the monitoring performed to determine the geographic location in relation to a destination located apart from the structure; and

determine a set point for the thermostat based on the geographic location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the thermostat via the network, based on the determined set point.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

store a historical average duration of visits by the user device to the destination; and

using the historical average duration and a distance between the structure and the destination, determine a setback temperature at which to set the thermostat set point for a future visit to the destination.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to set the thermostat to a predetermined setback temperature via the network when the user device is determined to be arriving at the destination.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the set point based on a breakeven duration, the breakeven duration based on one or more thermal properties of the structure and/or a type of climate control equipment in the structure.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain the breakeven duration from a plurality of breakeven durations predetermined for a plurality of outdoor temperatures and a plurality of setback amounts.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the set point for the thermostat based on the geographic location of the user device relative to one or more of the following:

a setback ring between the structure and the destination, a traffic pattern, and a sub-destination associated by the system with the destination.

8. A system-performed method of providing climate control in a structure, the method comprising:

monitoring a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure, the monitoring performed to determine the geographic location in relation to a destination located apart from the structure; and

using a network through which the system is connected with a thermostat of the structure, controlling a set point of the thermostat based on the geographic location.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

storing a historical average duration of visits by the user device to the destination; and

determining a setback temperature at which to set the thermostat set point for a future visit to the destination, the determining performed using the historical average duration and a distance between the structure and the destination.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising setting the thermostat to a predetermined setback temperature via the network when the user device is determined to be arriving at the destination.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising:

determining a breakeven duration based on one or more thermal properties of the structure and/or a type of climate control equipment in the structure; and

determining the thermostat set point based on the breakeven duration.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising predetermining a plurality of breakeven durations for the structure based on a plurality of outdoor temperatures and setback amounts.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a set point of the thermostat based on the geographic location of the user device relative to one or more of the following:

a setback ring between the structure and the destination, a traffic pattern, and a sub-destination associated by the system with the destination.

14. A system for providing energy management relative to a structure, the structure having a thermostat connected with the system in a network, the system comprising one or more processors configured to:

using the network, monitor the thermostat and a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure to determine one or more time periods during which the structure is unoccupied and during which the thermostat is set at a first set point;

determine an estimate of energy savings that could have been realized by changing the first set point to a second set point during at least part of the one or more time periods; and

provide the estimate to the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to shorten at least one of the one or more time periods by a breakeven duration to obtain the at least part of the one or more time periods.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the determined breakeven duration is one of a plurality of breakeven durations predetermined for a plurality of outdoor temperatures and a plurality of setback amounts for the structure.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first set point comprises a comfort set point and the second set point comprises a setback set point.

18. A system-performed method of providing energy management relative to a structure, the structure having a thermostat connected with the system through a network, the method comprising:

monitoring the thermostat and a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure to determine one or more time periods during which the structure is unoccupied and during which the thermostat is set at a first set point;

shortening one of the time periods by a breakeven duration to obtain a time period over which energy costs could have been reduced by changing the first set point to a second set point;

determining an estimate of an amount by which the energy costs could have been reduced; and

providing the estimate to the user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the breakeven duration is based on one or more thermal properties of the structure and/or a type of climate control equipment in the structure.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising predetermining a plurality of breakeven durations for the structure based on a plurality of outdoor temperatures and setback amounts for the structure.